2017 DTM Season
2017 Hockenheim I |lastround = 2017 Hockenheim II |makers = Audi; BMW; Mercedes Benz |tyres = Hankook |image = |caption = René Rast claimed his maiden DTM crown in 2017. |drivechamp = René Rast |natchamp = GER |drivechamppts = 179 |driver2 = Mattias Ekström |driver2nat = SWE |driver2pts = 176 |driver3 = Jamie Green |driver3nat = GBR |driver3pts = 173 |previous = 2016 |next = 2018 |teamchamp = Audi Sport Team Rosberg |teamchampnat = GER |team2nat = GER |team2 = Audi Sport ABT Sportsline |team3nat = GER |team3 = Mercedes-AMG Motorsport me |teamchamppts = 352 |team2pts = 257 |team3pts = 221 |brandchamp = Audi |brandchampnat = GER |brand2nat = GER |brand2 = Mercedes-Benz |brand3nat = GER |brand3 = BMW |brandchamppts = 798 |brand2pts = 568 |brand3pts = 560}} The 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Championship, otherwise shortened to the 2017 DTM Season, was the eighteenth edition of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, organised by the DMSB and staged between May and October 2017. The 2017 edition of the series would be noted for an increase in engine power, up to 500 bhp, as well as a cull in the number of entries from 24 to 18. Marco Wittmann would start the season as the defending Champion, with the German racer opting against using #1 as his race number and instead using #11. Elsewhere, Audi would start the season as the defending Manufacturers Champions, while their factory squad ABT Sportsline opened the season as the Teams' Champions. The season would open at the series' traditional home of Hockenheim, with Mercedes-Benz and Lucas Auer securing victory. Indeed, the Austrian ace would win two of the opening four rounds of the season, with Jamie Green the only other winner until the series headed to Hungary. Indeed, after the opening four races the season would become far more open, with wins for Paul di Resta, René Rast, Bruno Spengler and Maxime Martin coming in the next four races. Rast would then become the third repeat winner with victory at the Moscow Raceway, before Maro Engel, Timo Glock and Mike Rockenfeller collected their first wins of the season. Wins for Auer, Robert Wickens, Mattias Ekström and Green followed, leaving four drivers in title contention: Ekström; Green; Rockenfeller and Rast. Ultimately it was Rast whom emerged on top, overcoming a thirteen point deficit to Ekström at the final race to claim the crown by just three points. With four Audi drivers in title contention at the end of the season there was little surprise that the Ingolstadt based squad were declared as Manufacturers' Champions, retaining their crown. The Teams' Championship, meanwhile, would see Team Rosberg claim their first DTM crown, having fielded both Rast and Green across the 2017 campaign. Away from the racing at 2017 would also see significant changes to the performance ballast rules throughout the season, with numerous complaints about the system. Ultimately the entire system would be abolished before the Spielberg round towards the end of the season, meaning everyone entered the final four races with the same weight. Background Calendar The 2017 DTM Championship calendar would see some revisions to the 2016 edition of the series, although all eight venues that host the series in 2016 would return. Furthermore, the season would start in its conventional manner, with the Hockenheimring hosting the opening round on the 6-7 May. The series would then head to the Lausitzring two weeks later, before making its first trip of the season outside of Germany to the Hungaroring. The annual battle on the streets of Nuremberg would come on the 1/2 July, with the Norisring unchanged from the series' last visit. With that the DTM would head across to the Moscow Raceway, before sweeping back across Europe to the Circuit Park Zandvoort in mid-August. September would see trips to the Nürburgring and the Red Bull Ring, before the 2017 campaign came to its conclusion back in Hockenheim on the 14/15 October. The full calendar for the 2017 DTM Championship is outlined below: Regulations Technical Sporting There were no major revisions to the rules ahead of the 2017 DTM Championship, with same scoring system as used in 2016, albeit with one major revision/addition. For 2017 there would be bonus points on offer for Qualifying, with the pole setter getting three points, second two points, and third a single point, enhancing the need to qualify well. This was not the first time the "new" DTM had incorporated points for qualifying, with the concept having been used in both 2001 and 2002, albeit as a result of a "Qualifying Race". The full points scoring system for the 2017 DTM campaign is outlined below: Elsewhere, the DMSB made a late decision to ban pit-to-car radio, meaning drivers could only receive information from the officials via their in-car radio. There were also changes to the pit-procedure, with teams restricted to completing just one tyre change at a time during a stop, rather than swapping all four at once. Otherwise the tyre rules were the same as they had been in 2016, with all eighteen cars using identical Hankook tyres. Season Report Pre-season Round I: DTM Hockenheim Opening 2017 The 2017 DTM Championship would get underway at the series' traditional home of the Hockenheimring, with the first race of the season scheduled for the 5 May 2018. 'Race One' For the full race report, head to the 2017 Hockenheim I article. 'Race Two' For the full race report, head to the 2017 Hockenheim I article. Round II: DTM Lausitzring 2017 The EuroSpeedway Lausitz was to play host to the second round of the 2017 season, using the shortened road course established in 2005. 'Race Three' For the full race report, head to the DTM Lausitzring 2017 article. 'Race Four' For the full race report, head to the DTM Lausitzring 2017 article. Round III: DTM Hungaroring 2017 The first non-German race weekend of the season would see the DTM head to the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, for the third pair of races of the season, conducted in mid-June. 'Race Five' For the full race report, head to the DTM Hungaroring 2017 article. 'Race Six' For the full race report, head to the DTM Hungaroring 2017 article. Round IV: DTM Norisring 2017 Round four would see DTM's annual battle around the streets of the Norisring take place, with the visit to Nuremberg scheduled for the 1-2 July. 'Race Seven' For the full race report, head to the DTM Norisring 2017 article. 'Race Eight' For the full race report, head to the DTM Norisring 2017 article. Round V: DTM Moscow 2017 The Moscow Raceway continued to host the DTM in 2017, with the series making its annual trip east on the 22/23 July, before heading off for the annual summer break. 'Race Nine' For the full race report, head to the DTM Moscow 2017 article. 'Race Ten' For the full race report, head to the DTM Moscow 2017 article. Round VI: DTM Zandvoort 2017 The dunes of the Circuit Park Zandvoort tempted the DTM Championship at the end of the mid-season break, with the Dutch circuit hosting its pair of races in mid-August. 'Race Eleven' For the full race report, head to the DTM Zandvoort 2018 article. 'Race Twelve' For the full race report, head to the DTM Zandvoort 2018 article. Round VII: DTM Nürburgring 2017 A familiar venue would serve as the seventh host of the 2017 season, with the Nürburgring hosting its usual pair of DTM races in early-September. 'Race Thirteen' For the full race report, head to the DTM Nürburgring 2017 article. 'Race Fourteen' For the full race report, head to the DTM Nürburgring 2017 article. Round VIII: DTM Spielberg 2017 The Red Bull Ring would make its annual DTM appearance on the 23/24 September, with no changes made to the Austrian circuit, although there would be a change in the performance ballast rules. 'Race Fifteen' For the full race report, head to the DTM Spielberg 2017 article. 'Race Sixteen' For the full race report, head to the DTM Spielberg 2017 article. Round IX: DTM Hockenheim Finale 2017 The 2017 campaign would come to its conclusion at the series' traditional home of the Hockenheimring as usual, with the twentieth and final Championship race set to be held on the 15 October 2017. 'Race Seventeen' For the full race report, head to the 2017 Hockenheim II article. 'Race Eighteen' For the full race report, head to the 2017 Hockenheim II article. Entrants The full entry list for the 2017 DTM Championship is outlined below: Standings 2017 DTM Championship for Drivers Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2017 DTM Championship for Drivers: *'Bold' indicates a driver started from pole; Italics indicate a driver scored points in qualifying. 2017 DTM Championship for Teams Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2017 DTM Championship for Teams: ** Team RMR were an amalgamation of Team RBM and RMG's third entries; Tom Blomqvist and Timo Glock. 2017 DTM Championship for Manufacturers Outlined below are the Championship standings for the 2017 DTM Championship for Manufacturers: References Videos and Images; * References: Category:DTM Seasons Category:2017 DTM Season